UCR Students Protest Free Speech Zone

Friday, October 7, 2016 9:46

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At UCR, “any pre-advertised activity, …or activity which can reasonably be expected to attract a crowd of 25 or more [people] must be scheduled in advance in the Scheduling Office, and is limited to the Tower Mall or Speaker’s Mound area.”

Yesterday, UCR Young Americans for Liberty protested this campus policy that restricts our freedom of assembly. Of course, this is merely one of the problematic policies; the new definition of sexual harassment is so broad and vague that it earns UCR a “red light” rating from FIRE, but as it deals with a more sensitive issue, we chose the “yellow light” assembly policy to tackle first.

No one from the administration actually stopped us from peacefully assembling outside the zone, so our next step is collecting signatures for our petition to have UCR change the policy and adopt the Chicago Principles of Free Expression. We will then take the signatures straight to the desk of the Vice Chancellor.

On top of this, we are actively working to build a coalition with other student organizations, and our allies so far include the College Republicans, Secular Student Alliance, and National Society of Leadership and Success. By building a diverse coalition for freedom of speech, we are working to become an unstoppable force against any walls that administrators or students may erect to threaten our liberty.